Just yesterday... I found out. I was accepted into Cornell’s Master in Industrial Labor Relations Program on scholarship! Cornell’s program is the top human resources program in the world. This solidifies the next major step in my post-MBA career. In August, I will be moving to Ithaca, NY to start my program. I am incredibly excited about this amazing opportunity!
More School? 2nd Masters? Why?
My Pepperdine MBA experience was amazing. It was truly a life-changing time in my life. In terms of foundational knowledge acquisition, experience building and personal development I couldn’t possibly have asked for anything more. Four major factors played into my decision for pursuing my second masters. Those factors were specialized learning, program ranking, access to recruiting and networking.
My Pepperdine MBA gave me the foundational knowledge that I need to build my business career. The MBA degree comprises of a vast selection of core business courses like accounting, marketing, finance, economics, IT systems, organizational behavior, and strategy. In my particular “niche” of human resources though, Pepperdine only offered one class in HR (which I’m in currently). I want to take graduate level courses about topics like talent management, compensation strategy, HR information systems, employee relations, internal communications, corporate safety and employee development. I can draw a comparison to a specialized surgeon. A surgeon first goes to medical school (my MBA program) to learn the foundational knowledge needed to become a doctor. The surgeon then goes on to specialize in his area of focus by attending more school (my MILR program) to learn the advanced critical skills needed to be successful. I want to be an expert in my field, and this program will substantially help me achieve that goal.
Let’s talk for a second about rankings. Now, I will be the first to admit that a program’s ranking is not the “end all, be all” of a program’s overall value. However, when a program is a highly ranked program like Cornell’s it opens up some opportunities that may not have existed otherwise. To put it in perspective, Pepperdine’s MBA program was ranked in the 50s out of 600+ MBA programs in the US. As an overall university, Cornell ranks between 5th and 15th in the US. The program I am attending is the number one HR masters program in the world. Cornell is the only Ivy League school to have a masters program in HR.
Now high ranking alone is nice, but the real value of the high ranking comes from what that ranking does for you. A key advantage of a number one ranked program is the extensive recruiting that is done at the university. I will have access to a vast number of Fortune 100 companies that come to Cornell to recruit students. I know that several companies that I am interested in working for recruit at Cornell.
Maybe the most important takeaway from this next masters program will be the network that I take away from the program. Let me mention something about a difference in generational career paths. In my parents generation, it was very common to sign on to a company and work for them throughout the rest of your career. My father is a perfect example of this. When he was 25 years old, he signed on with DuPont. He has worked for them for 35 years now. My career path will likely be very different. It has been estimated that students in my generation will have more than 10 jobs throughout our career. With this in mind, my network will be vitally important. The phase “it’s not what you know, but who you know” is more true than ever before. Let me explain...
When I enter Cornell’s MILR program this fall, I will enter with 150 of the top HR students in the world. That group of students will become my classmates, my group assignment team members, my social contacts and most importantly my friends. When our class graduates from the program, our 150 students will explode out of Ithaca, NY into top companies all over the world working in various HR functions. Being in human resources and coming out of the #1 program in the world makes this class of students very powerful in the business world. Having a network of 150+ top HR professionals in Fortune 500 companies would be an amazing asset to anyone’s network.
Conclusion
Getting into the Ivy League, on scholarship, is the compilation of more than 20 years of hard work in school. Countless nights studying, cramming, researching, typing, etc. Being able to tell people that I am going to Cornell is something that I am incredibly proud of. My Pepperdine MBA prepared me to take this next step in my life, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Go Big Red!!
